Like a lot of industries, the design and website development world has trends that surface practically daily. Because of new technology and seemingly new design concepts, the trends in the industry come quickly and leave even quicker. So what should be done with “the next big thing”?

With web development it is a lot easier for us to distinguish between the newest items that are good and those that we ignore. We approach this in the same way that we approach design for a client; we approach this with marketing in mind. If the latest development item goes beyond just looking cool and actually helps the client, then it is something that we would use, when appropriate. If the new development item does not perform well across platforms (Internet Explorer as the prime example), or is not read (crawled) well by the major search engines, or just is inappropriate for the audience, then the client would not benefit by using that development.

With design, sifting through trends is a little more difficult. If something is “too trendy” then there is the risk of a design becoming obsolete very quickly. If a design is “too traditional” then there is the risk of the design not effectively speaking to the intended audience.

All design should consider the 5 elements of art, line, shape, color, texture and balance. Each of the elements should be considered and followed (or purposely broken) for the design to be good. There is one more element that i would like to add to this specifically for designing for clients and that would be the purpose of the design. The purpose of the design will help determine goals, audience and the creative direction of the piece. What would work for a contemporary, young brand would probably not work for a corporate established brand. It is all about purpose for effective design.

More could be said about this but just remember this, if design or development is done for a client, then it should be done to better the client. Happy designing.
-jeremy

I like the use of numbers within design. Both the actual numbers and the written numbers together can create a balance that are not only fun to work with but are also a lot easier to remember. As you know, one of the goals in design for marketing is to be memorable. Can we make a collective decision to avoid any more basic use of numbers in design or use of numbers within words like se7en? Low-hanging fruit people.

Have fun with numbers…they need not be overlooked in the design process.

number design

This is all over the news and so i figure that it is a good thing to discuss. Twitter, like facebook or other Social Networks, is merely another way for people to communicate. Twitter allows you to put in 140 characters to say your latest thoughts and then people “follow” you so they can get a constant stream of your latest posts. This sounds a little journal-like and not-so-business-like at first glance.

Admittedly, i still have my doubts as to the marketing benefit of using twitter. Partly because it seems like this would be hard to translate into actual business and partly because this seems like a lack on continuity between thoughts that you share to the world (remember that you can only use 140 characters per post).

That being said, this may also be another tool for reaching an audience. This will allow you to have direct access to an audience, and therefore, to either a potential market or a peer group. This means that this may not effect sales directly, but over time, this could lead to your expertise in a field which would translate to sales, finding competent employees or problem-solving through twitter. I am current checking twitter out myself to see it this holds any weight. Feel free to check out my page. http://twitter.com/jeremywold

Try it out, but try this with the expectation that is a very small avenue for getting your marketing message out in a very ADHD sort of way. This is still it in its baby stages.

jeremy

I am constantly amazed how dismal the news is these days. With most companies shrinking with the economy, any talk is business is typically negative.

At first glance, i would agree that things seem a little dire. But, if you think about it, the situation has stemmed from an inflation of perception of prosperity that really wasn’t there. In other words, our perception of how profitable we are as a nation tends to lead to how prosperous we actually are. I think that this holds true, not just as a nation but with individual organizations as well.

My advice is this; even though times may be tough, have a positive outlook for your business. Instead of just focusing on what has changed within the market, focus on what opportunities may have presented themselves within this climate. While competitors may be focusing inward by slashing jobs and costs, you too should be efficient but also look externally to how you may capitalize on what new opportunities are within the market.

jeremy

Love it or hate it, the environment has been an increasing point of conversation. Personally as well as with Wold Creative Group, i believe that it is important to be as conscious as possible about the use of resources. This is both because i think the environment is our responsibility to treat with respect but also because i think that such a philosophy actually helps the bottom line.

A good example of this within Salt Lake City is the e2 Business Program that the city itself has put together. I have recently become a member and to do so requires an extensive look at everything from a company’s waste, utilities to setting goals for the following year to work towards a more environmentally-friendly company. This program allows for like-minded businesses to connect (goodwill) as well as causes us to refocus on efficiency…both help the bottom line. Here is a link to the program.

Say what you will about the economy being in the tank but i say that design will flourish during 2009. There are a few things that lead me to this conclusion.

First of all, color has come back in style. With the 80’s back in style for a little while now, we will now see a muted 80’s style that steps away from the florescence colors but leaves us with a heavy use of color. Use of a broader color palette will also happen due to the fact that more marketers will try even harder to get the ever-needed attention of a audience that may be less apt to spend any money. 

Secondly, since the economy is the way that it is, designers and marketers must be more creative in how how they develop marketing initiatives. I personally think that this is a very good litmus test for designers. If they can still create effective design within a market that is generally apprehensive, then they are thinking outside of the box of normalcy and are moving our industry in the right direction.

Lastly, with a bad economy, some design will inevitably get worse due to organizations’ budgets tightening or disappearing altogether. While some organizations choose that direction, others will realize that potential that this means within their market. If your competition is not presenting themselves well via ads, web or design, then it goes to follow that you will stand out if you do make that effort. A good example of how this works is currently within the fast food industry. Arby’s has recently gone cheap on some really poor-quality commercials without much direction while Wendy’s has stepped it up considerably with commercials and, more importantly, creative direction. There is no doubt that Wendy’s has taken some market share from Arby’s.

So, in 2009, i think that we will see design flourish with broad use of color and with creative ideas that will propel some companies to the forefront while their competition is caught sleeping. 

-jeremy

We have recently finished a complete site re-design for Powder Mountain. With dynamic, yet searchable, content throughout the site, we have created a website where data is automatically fed through databases  and can be changed very easily everywhere else throughout the site. In other words, instead of having a very static 100+ page website, we have created the site to be agile in order to adapt to the changing seasons.

In order to have this fit within the marketing strategies we have going for Powder Mountain, we have provided copyrighting, photography, graphic design, development and strategic direction for the new website.

We also think that it looks cool too.

Click here to check it out.

If i had to breakdown good design in a short phrase, i would say that it is the creative manipulation of the elements of art (line, balance, color, texture, shape). This is art. This is fine art, but it is not design for a business. Like fine art, the elements of art need to be used creatively in a good design for a client but the difference is the purpose of the design.

If a design is good but not useful to meet the client’s goals, then it is not a good design within the business world. This seems like a straightforward concept but it is certainly something that greatly effects how we approach all projects for our 30 or so clients.

Given the purpose and medium of a design, there is a structure in which design must fit in order to be good. This structure is both the marketing end of the piece but also the space in which the design is done. As a “creative”, as people in the industry say, i would admit that this structure is often a challenge.

I love a good challenge.
jeremy

With extensive courtroom and litigation experience both defending and prosecuting, Ben W. Lieberman has recently started the Law Office of Ben W. Lieberman. Being a smaller law firm, they have the experience to handle large cases but have the unique position of accessibility with all clients.

Wold Creative Group will be providing branding and website strategies and implementation for the Law Office of Ben W. Lieberman. Starting with branding, we will help guide them through the competitive market of marketing law firms. We are looking forward to it.

Welcome.

Working with Powder Mountain, Wolf Creek Utah, Ogden Convention and Visitor Bureau and Utah Tourism, we have come up with a full-page ad that will be running within Backcountry Magazine. This is a comprehensive campaign that will include a few runs of this full-page print ad, online banner ads, partner ads that will run in Telemark Magazine and a landing webpage to capture contact info.